Three-dimensional shaped article manufacturing method and data processing device

Abstract

A three-dimensional shaped article manufacturing method by using a flow rate adjustment mechanism to control a discharge start and a discharge stop of a shaping material discharged from a discharge unit and stacking the shaping material includes generating intermediate data including a partial route that is a route along which the discharge unit moves while continuously discharging the shaping material, and a moving speed of the discharge unit on the partial route, generating shaping data based on the intermediate data, and controlling the discharge unit according to the shaping data and shaping the three-dimensional shaped article. The moving speed is changed such that a control time required to control the flow rate adjustment mechanism on the partial route is equal to or shorter than a moving time for the discharge unit to move along the partial route when the control time is longer than the moving time.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A three-dimensional shaped article manufacturing method for manufacturing a three-dimensional shaped article by using a flow rate adjustment mechanism to control a discharge start operation and a discharge stop operation of a shaping material discharged from a discharge unit which includes a nozzle, and by stacking the shaping material, the flow rate adjustment mechanism including a rotation valve provided in a supply flow path through which the shaping material is supplied to the discharge unit, the three-dimensional shaped article manufacturing method comprising:
 generating intermediate data including a partial route that is a route along which the discharge unit moves while continuously discharging the shaping material without stopping the discharging of the shaping material from the discharge unit, and a moving speed of the discharge unit on the partial route; 
 generating shaping data based on the intermediate data, 
 in the generating of the shaping data,
 determination of whether a control time required to control the flowrate adjustment mechanism on the partial route is longer than a moving time for the discharge unit to move along the partial route being performed, the control time including a sum of a time required for a start operation of the flow rate adjustment mechanism during the discharge start operation, a time required for a stop operation of the flow rate adjustment mechanism during the discharge stop operation, and a time during which the flow rate adjustment mechanism cannot execute the stop operation after the start operation; 
 in response to determination that the control time is longer than the moving time, the moving speed in the intermediate data being changed, to generate the shaping data, such that the control time is equal to or shorter than the moving time, and such that the moving speed from a start point to an end point of the partial route is changed at a constant rate, and 
 in response to determination that the control time is not longer than the moving time, the moving speed in the intermediate data being maintained to generate the shaping data; and 
 
 controlling the discharge unit according to the shaping data and shaping the three-dimensional shaped article, 
 the flow rate adjustment mechanism adjusting a discharge amount of the shaping material from the nozzle by adjusting the opening degree of the rotation valve, 
 the start operation being an operation of opening the rotation valve from the opening degree of 0 to the opening degree of 100, or an operation of opening the rotation valve from the opening degree of 0 to a predetermined opening degree, 
 the stop operation including an operation of closing the rotation valve from the opening degree of 100 to the opening degree of 0, or an operation of closing the rotation valve from the predetermined opening degree to the opening degree of 0, 
 when the discharge unit starts a movement along the partial route during the start operation, the control time being a time from a start time of the movement of the discharge unit to a completion time of the stop operation, and 
 when the discharge unit starts the movement along the partial route at or before a start time of the start operation, the control time being a time from the start time of the start operation to the completion time of the stop operation. 
 
     
     
       2. The three-dimensional shaped article manufacturing method according to  claim 1 , wherein
 in the generating of the shaping data, the discharge amount of the shaping material discharged from the nozzle per unit time is further changed in accordance with the changed moving speed changed, in response to the determination that the control time is longer than the moving time in the determination of whether the control time is longer than the moving time. 
 
     
     
       3. The three-dimensional shaped article manufacturing method according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the rotation valve is a butterfly valve. 
 
     
     
       4. A three-dimensional shaped article manufacturing method for manufacturing a three-dimensional shaped article by using a flow rate adjustment mechanism to control a discharge start operation and a discharge stop operation of a shaping material discharged from a discharge unit which includes a nozzle, and by stacking the shaping material, the flow rate adjustment mechanism including a rotation valve provided in a supply flow path through which the shaping material is supplied to the discharge unit, the three-dimensional shaped article manufacturing method comprising:
 generating intermediate data including a partial route that is a route along which the discharge unit moves while continuously discharging the shaping material without stopping the discharging of the shaping material from the discharge unit, and a moving speed of the discharge unit on the partial route; 
 generating shaping data based on the intermediate data, 
 in the generating of the shaping data,
 determination of whether a control distance, obtained as a distance that the discharge unit is determined to move during a control time required to control the flow rate adjustment mechanism, is longer than a length of the partial route being performed, the control time including a sum of a time required for a start operation of the flow rate adjustment mechanism during the discharge start operation, a time required for a stop operation of the flow rate adjustment mechanism during the discharge stop operation, and a time during which the flow rate adjustment mechanism cannot execute the stop operation after the start operation; 
 in response to determination that the control distance is longer than the length of the partial route, the moving speed in the intermediate data being changed, to generate the shaping data, such that the control distance is equal to or shorter than the length of the partial route, and such that the moving speed from a start point to an end point of the partial route is changed at a constant rate, and 
 in response to determination that the control distance is not longer than the length of the partial route, the moving speed in the intermediate data being maintained to generate the shaping data; and 
 
 controlling the discharge unit according to the shaping data and shaping the three-dimensional shaped article, 
 the flow rate adjustment mechanism adjusting a discharge amount of the shaping material from the nozzle by adjusting the opening degree of the rotation valve, 
 the start operation being an operation of opening the rotation valve from the opening degree of 0 to the opening degree of 100, or an operation of opening the rotation valve from the opening degree of 0 to a predetermined opening degree, 
 the stop operation including an operation of closing the rotation valve from the opening degree of 100 to the opening degree of 0, or an operation of closing the rotation valve from the predetermined opening degree to the opening degree of 0, 
 when the discharge unit starts a movement along the partial route during the start operation, the control time being a time from a start time of the movement of the discharge unit to a completion time of the stop operation, and 
 when the discharge unit starts the movement along the partial route at or before a start time of the start operation, the control time being a time from the start time of the start operation to the completion time of the stop operation. 
 
     
     
       5. A three-dimensional shaped article manufacturing system comprising:
 a data processing device; and 
 a three-dimensional shaping device configured to shape a three-dimensional shaped article and including
 a discharge unit which includes a nozzle, and 
 a flow rate adjustment mechanism including a rotation valve provided in a supply flow path through which a shaping material is supplied to the discharge unit, 
 
 the data processing device being configured to process data for shaping the three-dimensional shaped article by using the flow rate adjustment mechanism to control a discharge start operation and a discharge stop operation of the shaping material discharged from the discharge unit the data processing device including 
 at least one processor configured to perform
 generating intermediate data including a partial route that is a route along which the discharge unit moves while continuously discharging the shaping material without stopping the discharging of the shaping material from the discharge unit, and a moving speed of the discharge unit on the partial route, and 
 generating shaping data based on the intermediate data, 
 
 to perform the generating of the shaping data,
 the at least one processor being configured to determine whether a control time required to control the flow rate adjustment mechanism on the partial route is longer than a moving time for the discharge unit to move along the partial route, the control time including a sum of a time required for a start operation of the flow rate adjustment mechanism during the discharge start operation, a time required for a stop operation of the flow rate adjustment mechanism during the discharge stop operation, and a time during which the flow rate adjustment mechanism cannot execute the stop operation after the start operation; 
 the at least one processor being configured to change the moving speed in the intermediate data such that the control time is equal to or shorter than the moving time, in response to determining that the control time is longer than the moving time, and such that the moving speed from a start point to an end point of the partial route is changed at a constant rate, and 
 the at least one processor being configured to maintain the moving speed in the intermediate data in response to determining that the control time is not longer than the moving time, and 
 
 the three-dimensional shaping device controlling the discharge unit according to the shaping data to shape the three-dimensional shaped article, 
 the flow rate adjustment mechanism adjusting a discharge amount of the shaping material from the nozzle by adjusting the opening degree of the rotation valve, 
 the start operation being an operation of opening the rotation valve from the opening degree of 0 to the opening degree of 100, or an operation of opening the rotation valve from the opening degree of 0 to a predetermined opening degree, 
 the stop operation including an operation of closing the rotation valve from the opening degree of 100 to the opening degree of 0, or an operation of closing the rotation valve from the predetermined opening degree to the opening degree of 0, 
 when the discharge unit starts a movement along the partial route during the start operation, the control time being a time from a start time of the movement of the discharge unit to a completion time of the stop operation, and 
 when the discharge unit starts the movement along the partial route at or before a start time of the start operation, the control time being a time from the start time of the start operation to the completion time of the stop operation. 
 
     
     
       6. The three-dimensional shaped article manufacturing method according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the flow rate adjustment mechanism further includes a suction mechanism having a plunger configured to suck the shaping material in a cylinder, the cylinder being coupled to the supply flow path at a downstream side relative to the rotation valve in a supply direction of the shaping material, 
 to stop discharging of the shaping material from the discharge unit,
 the stop operation of the rotation valve and an operation of pulling of the plunger are performed, the pulling of the plunger is performed such that the shaping material is sucked in the cylinder, and 
 the operation of the pulling of the plunger is completed after the stop operation of the rotation valve. 
 
 
     
     
       7. The three-dimensional shaped article manufacturing method according to  claim 6 , wherein
 the completion time of the stop operation is a completion time of the operation of the pulling of the plunger. 
 
     
     
       8. The three-dimensional shaped article manufacturing system according to  claim 5 , wherein
 the at least one processor is further configured to read shape data representing a shape of the three-dimensional shaped article, and divide the shape of the three-dimensional shaped article into layers each having a predetermined thickness, and 
 the at least one processor generates the intermediate data for each of the layers. 
 
     
     
       9. The three-dimensional shaped article manufacturing method according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the time during which the flow rate adjustment mechanism cannot execute the stop operation after the start operation is an operation-uncontrollable time during which a signal for executing the stop operation from at least one processor is not receivable at the flow rate adjustment mechanism after the start operation.